This invention relates to an improved pulling tool and; more particularly; to an improved pulling tool which can be used in body shops for removing dents and the like from the bodies of vehicles such as automobiles, trucks and the like.
There are presently available different types of so-called pulling tools which are used in body shops to remove dents and/or straighten parts of vehicle bodies that had been dented or otherwise damaged in an accident or the like. While most of these pulling tools are generally satisfactory, they do suffer various objectionable features. For example, one such pulling tool is essentially a length of tool steel rod which is threaded on one end thereof to receive a washer and a nut, and the opposite end thereof is adapted to be coupled with means for pulling on the rod. The pulling tool is attached to, for example, the door of an automobile by first drilling a hole in the door to accept the threaded end of the rod, then the washer is placed on the rod and secured thereon by means of the threaded nut. The washer and threaded nut are on the rod, on the opposite side of the door. The disadvantage of this pulling tool and its method of attaching it to a door is apparent in that some access must be provided to the back side of the door. This, of course, necessitates the removal of the door panels, a task which at the very least is time consuming. In view of present day labor costs, this adds substantially to the cost of repairing the vehicle.
Another disadvantage of many of the available pulling tools is that they create an outwardly flared protrusion or dimple on the body surface, when a dent or the like is pulled out of the body. More specifically, normally when a dent or the like is removed, the damaged area is pulled such that that aea substantially corresponds with the overall surface contour, and then the damaged area is leaded in and ground to provide a smooth surface matching the original surface contour. In many cases, in pulling the damaged area, the pulling tool creates a dimple at its point of attachment to the body which projects beyond the to-be-established surface contour and which therefore results in the problem of having to somehow remove this dimple. Sometimes the problem in removing this dimple is a greater problem than removing or pulling the dent.
The above generally recites several of the disadvantages of available pulling tools which are overcome by the pulling tool of the present invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved pulling tool and particularly an improved pulling tool which can be used in body shops for removing dents and the like from the bodies of vehicles such as automobiles, trucks and the like.